Verified Fla. Stat. §320.07(3) (penalty amount set by §318.18(2)) · Checked October 2026 · 5 sources

What an expired-registration ticket costs in Florida

First offense Fla. Stat. §320.07(3) (penalty amount set by §318.18(2))

$30 fine plus court costs (≤6 months expired)

Verified October 2026 against the sources on this page

Florida grades the offense by how long you’ve been expired: six months or less is a noncriminal traffic infraction punishable as a nonmoving violation under chapter 318 (Fla. Stat. §320.07(3)). The fine itself is set statewide, not by the county: Fla. Stat. §318.18(2) sets a $30 penalty for all nonmoving traffic violations and names violations of §320.07(1) expressly, and the same paragraph says anyone cited under §320.07(1) is also charged the delinquent fee under §320.07(4). What you actually pay is more than $30, because chapter 318 stacks costs on top of the fine: statewide add-ons include an $18 court cost for nonmoving infractions (§318.18(12)(a)), a $12.50 administrative fee (§318.18(19)) and a $10 Article V assessment (§318.18(20)), plus smaller court costs, and a county may add a surcharge by ordinance (up to $30 for state court facilities under §318.18(14)(a)), so the total printed on your citation varies by county. Registration expires at midnight on the owner’s birthday, but §320.07(3)(a) bars an officer from writing this citation until midnight on the last day of the owner’s birth month. Separately, §320.07(4)(a) adds a delinquent fee when you renew late, starting on the 11th calendar day of the month after the renewal period and keyed to the license tax: $5 where the tax is $5 to $25 and $10 where it is over $25 but not over $50. A private-use automobile’s annual license tax under §320.08(2) is $14.50 or $22.50 below 3,500 pounds net weight (a $5 delinquent fee) and $32.50 at 3,500 pounds or more (a $10 delinquent fee).

By Mario Bailey

What to do now

1

Check how long you have been expired

Six months or less is a noncriminal nonmoving infraction. More than six months, a second or subsequent offense becomes a second-degree misdemeanor.
2

Renew before your court date and use the proof-of-compliance election

Under Fla. Stat. §318.14(10), pleading no contest and showing the renewed registration and proof of insurance before your court date waives the $30 fine; you are assessed $25 in court costs and adjudication is withheld (once in 12 months, three times in all). Renewing promptly also keeps you out of the criminal tier on any future stop.

Florida at a glance

Grace period: Until end of your birth month
Misdemeanor?: No, noncriminal infraction
Jail, first offense: No
Dismissed if you renew?: No; renewing waives fine ($25 costs)
Late renewal fee: $5 or $10 for a typical car

First offense, ordinary passenger vehicle. Each label compares Florida with every verified state.

2nd-degree misdemeanor (>6 months, repeat) Repeat offense

Criminal after 6 months (repeat) License / registration

Note: amounts vary by county, through the court costs and county surcharges added to the statewide $30 fine, the figures above are the statutory frame, not a quote.

Repeat offenses

Expired more than six months: a first offense is still penalized under §318.14, but a second or subsequent offense becomes a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable under §§775.082–775.083.

Is driving on expired tags a crime in Florida?

Under six months expired: no. Over six months on a second or subsequent offense: yes, a second-degree criminal misdemeanor.

Can it be dismissed?

Renewing after the stop does not get the case dismissed. Dismissal is available only if your registration was already valid when you were cited: Fla. Stat. §318.18(2)(b)1 lets the clerk dismiss the case, with a dismissal fee of up to $10, if you show proof of a valid registration at the time of the stop. If you renew afterward, under Fla. Stat. §318.14(10) a driver who holds no commercial driver license or commercial learner’s permit and was driving a noncommercial vehicle can plead no contest and show a valid or renewed registration certificate plus proof of insurance before the court date instead of paying the fine or appearing, in which case adjudication is withheld and court costs of $25 are assessed; the option is limited to once in any 12 months and three times in all.

Frequently asked questions

Is driving with an expired tag a crime in Florida?

Not if it has been expired six months or less, that is a noncriminal nonmoving infraction. Expired more than six months, a second or subsequent offense is a second-degree misdemeanor (Fla. Stat. §320.07(3)).

How much is an expired-tag ticket in Florida?

The fine is $30 statewide: Fla. Stat. §318.18(2) sets $30 for nonmoving violations and names §320.07(1) expressly. Court costs and fees are added on top, some statewide (an $18 court cost, a $12.50 administrative fee and a $10 Article V assessment) and some by county ordinance, so the total on your citation is higher and differs by county. If you renew and use the §318.14(10) election before your court date, the $30 fine is waived and you are assessed $25 in court costs instead. The serious exposure is the criminal tier after six months on repeat offenses.

Sources

This summary was checked against the following sources on the date shown above. Fines and fees change, verify before relying on specifics.

Other tickets in Florida

Driving Without Insurance in Florida

Expired Registration: other states

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming All states

General legal information, not legal advice. Statutes and penalty schedules summarized from the sources above as of October 2026.